Hearing this, London Police Commissioner Mr. Wan George Ceci also nodded to Fang Lang and said:
“General Fang, thank you for your generosity. I hope what happened yesterday will not give you a negative impression of London. In the future, we must strengthen the education of citizens to avoid such situations from happening again.
Since you are a friend of Reinhardt, then we can be considered friends too. If you encounter any problems that you cannot solve in London, you can come to me directly and I will definitely help you if I can. "
In fact, Fang Lang knew very well in his heart that these were just polite words. White supremacy was still very prevalent during this period, and there were definitely a lot of people in this room who looked down on him.
But what can we do? Humans are social animals. They cannot hide away and become a group of their own just because they are afraid of being discriminated against. Dignity must be earned with one's own strength. After his group has established a firm foothold in Europe with the help of European aid.
All the people sitting here will have to rely on him, and by then, not to mention discrimination, they will probably look up to him.
But that's a matter for the future. It's obviously not appropriate for him to be too high-profile here now, and he doesn't want to dwell too much on this racial issue.
Fit Henderson obviously understood that the issue of racial discrimination was not suitable for excessive discussion, so after hearing what Mr. Wan George Ceci said, he spoke for Fang Lang without hesitation:
"There aren't many opportunities to help, right?"
...
...
He raised the cigar in his hand and said:
“The cigars we are tasting today are all provided by Fang Lang’s tobacco company. Everyone has tried the quality of this cigar. If you like it, please support us more in the future.
It just so happens that Fang Lang's family is planning to open their first cigar shop in London, and the safety of this cigar shop will be left to you at that time."
Director Wan George Ceci also became interested. He looked at Fang Lang in surprise and said:
"It turns out that this Good Luck Tobacco is actually the property of General Fang's family. This brand rose very quickly during World War II! As far as I know, although this type of cigarette was not issued by the Allied forces, it was widely circulated within the Allied forces.
The market share even surpassed the cigarette brands distributed by the Allies at one point. In Italy, Germany, and France, this type of cigarette occupies a very large market.
I have to say that the taste of Good Luck cigarettes is really very special. I have smoked two packs that someone brought me and I like them very much. I never thought that cigars would be available now.
Since this company is owned by the government, I will definitely support it with all my strength in the future. When your cigar shop opens, I will definitely order some cigars of each flavor and store them at home as my collection.”
Director Wan George Ceci's words also moved the others present. After all, any man who smokes has more or less heard of the name of Good Luck cigarettes.
Many of you here have even smoked this brand of cigarettes, and you can even buy smuggled cigarettes in the UK with luck.
After all, the way Fang Lang sold cigarettes in the beginning was not a legal way, and this way has not been cut off yet. The UK is such a big market, the Gambino family certainly cannot turn a blind eye to it.
Therefore, although the formal sales channels of Good Luck cigarettes have not yet been laid out in the UK, it does not mean that Good Luck cigarettes cannot be obtained in the UK.
Good Luck Cigarettes have the advanced cigarette-making concept brought by Fang Lang. The cigarettes produced have a special flavor that no other brand has, so it is unlikely that they will not be popular.
Currently Fang Lang has only opened a cigar store in the UK. When the time is right, he will naturally launch Good Luck cigarettes across the UK.
After knowing that Good Luck Cigarettes were Fang Lang's family business, everyone looked at Fang Lang differently. After all, anyone who was not a primitive person knew very well the profits of tobacco.
If Fang Lang was just a Brazilian rear admiral, no one would take it too seriously. After all, Brazil does not have much influence in the British mind.
But the boss of a tobacco company that occupies a huge market share in the entire European tobacco market has made everyone take notice. This is the difference between Europe and Brazil.
It is also the difference between an American general and a European capitalist.
“I am very honored that our Good Luck Tobacco products have won your favor. I was not prepared to enter the British market so soon, but Uncle Henderson said he liked the gift very much.
We invited everyone to come and taste the products. Now we see that everyone likes our company's products very much. This is really our honor.
Since everyone likes it, I will have someone send some to everyone, and everyone can help me make an evaluation to see which product suits everyone's taste the most, which will also make it easier for our company to make this product the main product in the future."
Since the other party took the initiative to mention that he wanted to buy it himself, Fang Lang, the boss, must of course express his opinion. You know, these people here are all big shots, and it doesn't cost much to send some products to them for tasting.
But if these bigwigs all smoke this kind of cigar, it may become a trend in British upper class society, and their company's Good Luck cigars will quickly become well-known in British upper class society.
Once cigars become popular in British upper class society, the British market will naturally be opened up quietly, and then there will be no need to worry about the sales of cigars.
The tasting samples he sends out now will bring him countless times the returns.
Upon hearing this, Director Wan George Ceci smiled slightly and was very satisfied with Fang Lang's tact. It's not that he didn't have money to buy cigars, but he felt respected.
"Then I won't be polite! Don't worry!
Your cigars are really great, I like them very much, and I will definitely help you promote them among my friends."
Fit Henderson was also very satisfied with Fang Lang's words, and laughed loudly:
"Everyone has heard it. When you leave, please leave a business card for me. I will arrange for someone to give each of you some Good Luck cigars for free tasting. Everyone must help promote it!"
Everyone laughed when they heard this, and many of them raised their glasses and gestured to Fang Lang:
"Thank you for your generosity, General Fang. Let us toast to you."
This proposal was recognized by everyone, and they raised their glasses to greet Fang Lang. Fang Lang also stood up with a smile on his face and raised his glass to greet everyone.
The atmosphere was very lively for a while.
More smart people directly handed their business cards to Fang Lang with their wine glasses, and had a friendly chat with Fang Lang until everyone became familiar with him.
At this time, Fang Lang's tobacco promotion plan had achieved certain results, and this tasting session was not in vain.
As time passed, the Henderson family's banquet slowly came to an end. Many people began to leave the Henderson estate, but Mr. Suleiman Broom, a colonial aristocrat who had returned from India, had no intention of leaving.
Instead, after communicating with Fit Henderson alone for a while, Fit Henderson invited Fang Lang and Suleiman Broom to a quiet office together.
When Fang Lang saw this guy again in a separate office, he felt a headache, but this time it was for Fit Henderson's face, he couldn't just turn around and leave. He could only sit next to the two of them with some resentment.
Without waiting for the two to speak, Fang Lang spoke first:
"Uncle Henderson, it's not that I don't want to help Mr. Broom, it's just that his business is obviously not as simple as he said. He is also secretive and not honest with me. We can't do business like this."
Fit Henderson had obviously anticipated this, and he smiled and patted Fang Lang's arm, signaling him to be patient.
"Fang, don't worry. Suleiman Brom has just told me about your discussion. He also told me about his difficulties. At the same time, he also showed his utmost sincerity.
Now that there are only three of us here, let's open up and talk about the problem openly. See if you can take on this business."
After saying this, he looked at Suleiman Brom and motioned for him to speak.
Suleiman Brom also laughed dryly and said to Fang Lang:
"General Fang must have felt that the benefit I gave you was too great and suspected that there was something fishy about this business!
To be honest, there is something fishy about this business. I am giving you a benefit by selling you a large quantity of grain and cotton at a low price. However, please rest assured that I have absolutely no ill will towards you or your company.
I swear to you in the presence of Mr. Henderson."
"So, your real cargo is not grain and cotton at all, right?"
Since the other party began to tell the truth with reservations, Fang Lang no longer hesitated and directly stated his guess.
After hearing Fang Lang's words, Suleiman Blom and Fit Henderson looked at each other. Seeing that Mr. Henderson nodded to him seriously, they nodded and smiled bitterly and said:
"Yes, what we actually want to transport out is the wealth accumulated by our family for more than a hundred years."
Seeing that the other party finally told the truth, Fang Lang shook his head helplessly. The other party's concerns were actually very correct. If it were him, he would definitely have the same attitude.
After all, the wealth accumulated by the family over a hundred years must be valuable items such as gold.
Only with something like this would the new Indian government be interested in him and try to prevent him from leaving India.
But the other party actually thought of asking his company to help transport this kind of thing, which was quite bold. Aren't they afraid that he would just rob them? However, after looking at Fit Henderson on the side, Fang Lang understood what was going on.
This was apparently the idea that Fit Henderson came up with after learning about his own Whip of God military contracting company.
Although the military contracting company can provide strong military support for the escort, he is so confident in the soldiers of his own company. Isn't he afraid that these soldiers will rob them directly when the time comes?
To expect that you can bring all the supplies out by mixing them with cotton and food is to treat everyone as fools.
More importantly, the price of escorting gold and escorting cotton and grain cannot be the same. The other party thought that he could sell large quantities of grain and cotton to him at a low price to make up for his losses, which was obviously too much.
"You dare to ask me to help you transport something like this? Aren't you afraid that my people will snatch it from you?"
Fang Lang pointed out the other party's concerns without any hesitation.
Suleiman Brom obviously didn't expect Fang Lang to say such a thing so directly. He looked at Fit Henderson nervously, as if he wanted to ask him for help.
Fit Henderson shook his head helplessly upon seeing this, and said to Suleiman Brom:
“If Fang really wanted to rob you of your wealth, he wouldn’t have said it like that.
You should not have concealed the truth from the other party from the very beginning. Since they are transporting gold, you should have asked them to quote the freight according to the price of gold.
Instead of telling others that you are transporting cotton and grain.
All of your actions are telling the other party that you don’t trust them from the beginning, so how can others be willing to cooperate with you? "
Suleiman Brom, who looked wealthy, looked unhappy when he heard this. He certainly understood that the price of transporting gold would have to be quoted, but he was reluctant to pay such a high fee from the beginning.
Therefore, he was hoping for the best and wanted to use grain and cotton to impress Fang Lang. After all, these two things could be considered hard currency.
Now that the truth had been exposed by Fang Lang, he had no choice but to confess, but deep down he was still unwilling to pay the freight according to the price of transporting gold.
Because the amount of gold was too large, and if he followed international practice, he might have to pay 35% of the amount of gold as shipping fee. This was simply cutting his flesh.
He had already suffered heavy losses after being forced to evacuate from India, and now he was asked to take out 35% of his family's wealth to transport all of it out. He was unwilling to think about it.
The original intention of returning to the country this time was to get help from the military, but the current British military is worried about the political impact and is not willing to excessively stimulate the Indian government that is about to be established.
He didn't want too many people to know about this, so he didn't dare to look for cooperation with other people. This time, he got to know Fang Lang through Henderson, and he thought he could make use of him.
But he didn't expect that the other party was a smart man who easily saw through his loopholes, leaving him in a difficult situation.
After being scolded by Fit Henderson, he could only smile awkwardly at Fang Lang and said:
"Fang, I'm so sorry! I was judging others by my own standards. Please don't blame me."
Hearing this, Fang Lang smiled, looked at this very wealthy fat man with interest, waved his hand and said:
"That's okay. I understand. But I'm a little curious. Why don't you find a British bank in India, deposit the money there, and come back to withdraw it directly?"
Suleiman Brom waved his hand and said:
"No, the news of this wealth must not be let out to the Indians. If it is deposited in a British bank in India, the Indian government will definitely get the news. Then it will be hard to say whether this wealth can still belong to our family."
This answer was obviously beyond Fang Lang's expectations. Why did he feel that the source of this wealth seemed a little illegitimate? Although, Britain had been colonially ruling India for so many years, almost all sources of wealth were not very legitimate.
But now, judging from what Suleiman Brom has shown, these riches do not seem to have been obtained through colonial rule. But even if they were obtained through robbery or improper means, there is no need to worry about what the Indian government can do to these colonizers!
Unless this wealth was not his at all, or he stole it from the local Indians, it is impossible for him to have such great power in India and such huge wealth to be stolen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
